Shoal-water indicator.



PATENTED FEB. 10, 1903.

' F. E. FORSTER.

SHDAL WATER INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 16, 1901. RENEWED JULY 2, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

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FERDINAND E. FGRE TER, 9F NEYY 3705.1", if. Y.

s s as u w "2' To all w'wzcz it may concern:

33o lino that l, FERDTNAND Fonsus, 2t citizen the United States, residing in the city New York, borough bi lllsnnettsn, in

the county anal Stateof New Eons, have inprovement thereon.

The invention consists of on improved form of sounder 2.:Ll' ll16ftn3 for controlling and indicating the depth at which it travels and also improved means whereby the contact of the sounder against the bottom will be plainly indicated to the ear. The sounder of pcculior form and constructiomos will (lescribed farther on, and is held to the vessel by a, line wire said out from a registering reel. Between the reel and sounder I place a resonator in yielding contact with the strained wire and adopted to reinforce the vibrations oi the latter snfiiciently to render their: plainly audible to an attendant stationed near the instrument. I also provide the resonator with a tele'plicnejor analogous sound-transmil-ting device adapted to receive and transmit the resonator vibrations to receivers locatcll in the pilot-louse and other portions of the vessel. v

The invention alsoconsists inserts-in (leteils of construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described.

The accompanying drawings form a. part of this specification and show the invention as I have carried it out.

Figure l is a side view of a vessel equippesi with my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of a. portion of the vessel in outline, on a larger scale, and showing part of the appsratus in side viei Fig. 3 is 2. corresponding view of that portion of the apparatus extending outboard on a still larger scale, and

Fig- 4 is a corresponding plan view. Fig. 5

"228,615. tested February (Ila mcclelJ is s SlLlH-VZBW of the sonner oiling pies tics. of the re email Jn of tu Lei a Similn on upwardly-pro;

extending centrally of weights-Ll st the forwrd liens ssggulorly the water to induce its il so to travel iorwerd o. position no dicularly below its point of ettscl' the vessel The plane A 1m tsngnlsr, as shown, and my exp-e1. (licste that the best results 1 2 with rectangular lie of oo to the pleno and lia'vii about hall. thereof 2i, shorts stance in front edge and" overhanging on distance beyond the 2' at the forward eo prefers}? of e cylinder or roller A of .l yoke A, oltnclieii to the plane and free revolve. In

bellssting the sounder the roller 21 0 allows 33 the plane to be dragged along the octhe letter be sufiiciently since" and tends to prevent word ed go with oil it oostruo The sustsiningwire Bully is attaches to the vessel, is of 0 quality known as piano wire stencl the action of the water or as is consistent with strength. the sounder is removsbly sccireo. rt. of the wire 1? by a. short length B of e Wire permanently secured to the sense engagement with an eye or sum-ll ho s l the extreme resinope: angle of the lie and extending forward. alone: the if r edge thereof through a closed loo; A of wire engaged in one series holes 0; c, arranged. parallel with and near to the upper edge of the fin at the front. Thus ettacliell the normal point of strain is at the front owl thatin the event of collision with any conwith a pinion D on a short counter-shaft D direction of the wire B.

siderable obstacle on the bottom the loop A will break and the strain be immediately transferred to the rear point of attachment a and cause the sounder to overturn and rise to the surface behind the vessel, thus considerably lessening the danger of losing the sounder. This portion of the apparatus may be. secured in any desirable manner to the vessel, and any suitable means may be employed to indicate contact with the bottomas, for instance, the slackening or change of I prefer the apparatus shown in the drawings, consisting of a spar M, removably secured to the rail N of the vessel by engaging in a yoke N of strapiron and held by'a clamp M, compressing the inboard end of the spar firmly to the rail. The spar projects sufiiciently outboard to carry the wire and sounder clear of the vessel. Near the inboard end is a base-plate D, having a pair of standards D, serving as bearings for the shaft D of a reel D mounted between them. One end of the shaft carries a ratchet-wheel D, acted upon by a springpawl D serving to prevent unwinding when engaged, and also with a drum D and friction-band D therefor, operated by a handlever-D and forming-a brake to check the too-rapid unwinding when the pawl is disengaged. The opposite end of the reel-shaft carries a worm D acting upon a worm-wheel D the shaft of which is supported in a portion of the framing attached to the base-plate andcarriesadial D ,having radially-arranged lines and figures properly distributed to indicate the length of wire unwound from the reel, and consequently the approximate depth at which the sounder is traveling. The indications are read by means of a fixed index D mounted on the framing near the dial.

A gear-wheel I) on the drum is in mesh mountedin bearings onthe plateD. The other end of the counter-shaft is squared to receive a crank D, by which the reel maybe turned to wind up the Sustaining-wire B.

t On the outboard end of the spar is removably mounted a peculiarly-formed antifriction-wheel, over which the wire B passes in changing its direction from the horizontal to the vertical. The wheel consists of two circular disks 0 O mounted with freedom to revolve independently on a fixed center 0, carried in a yoke 0, attached to the spar. One of the disks is provided with a raised concentric portion on one face of smaller diameter than the disk, which matches to and is received in a corresponding but shallower circular recession the adjacent face of the other disk, thus producing a deep narrow groove in which the bight of the wire is guided and allowed to pay in or out with perfeet freedom, without friction, and with but little liability to catch or buckle. A lug (1 carried by the projecting ends of the yoke 0, lies close to the peripheries of the disks at the point where the wire leaves and serves to prevent accidental displacement of the wire by motions of the vessel.

G is a hollow cylinder of sheet metal closed.

plate 0 on which the yoke O is mounted.

The arm G is formed of two or more stiff helical springs. The cylinder lies transversely below the spar, with its outer rounded face held by the arm G in yielding but close contact with the wire B, and serves 'as a resonatorinau'gmenting the sound produced by vibrations of the wire. The variations and interruptions in the sound thus produced indicate to the trained ear of the attendant the contact of the submerged sounder with the bottom and may also indicate the character of the obstruction encountered or the nature of the surface if the sounder-be in rolling contact therewith.

In order that the sounds may be heard in the pilot-house or other distant part of the vessel, I inclose at the inner end of the IBSO-a nator a sound-transmitting device H, which may be an ordinary magneto-telephone connected through a metallic circuit to a similar receiver H, located in the pilot-house or other part of the vessel, or there may be several such receivers in the circuit placed in position for convenient use in various parts of the vessel. g I

The invention is intended to serve in indicating shoal water as the vessel approaches land, and when so used the sounder is put overboard and the number of fathoms to which it is to be submerged is reeled 0E. As long as the water equals or exceeds that depth the sounder travels through the water unimpeded and the resonator gives out acontinuous humming note, due to the passage of the fine wire through the water; but, as soon as the water becomes shallower the sounder contacts with the bottom either intermittently or continuously and the fact becomes immediately apparent by the cessation or' change in the resonator note. The invention also aids in enabling fishing vessels to locate above or near reefs, submerged wrecks, or other fishing-grounds. When thus used, I equip the sounder with one or more baited hooks J, attached to short lengths of line secured to a any convenient portion of the sounder and to the short portion B of the wire. The action of the sounder will indicate the depth and character of the bottom and the-presence of fish will be shown by their attack upon the ably at the rear, a1 electric lamp of the incandescent type, supplied with energy from a dynamo or battery through properly-insulated wires either connected temporarily to the lamp-terminals on the sounder or formed into asmalleablewiththesustaining-WireB. This modification is shown in Fig. 10. The illumination thus produced serves to attract fish to the vicinity of the vessel.

Other modifications may be made without departing from the invention. The form and proportions of the sounder may be varied. Other means for taking up the sustainingwire may be employed. The telephone may be omitted from the: resonator and the contact with the bottom indicated by the sound emitted by the resonator alone. For some uses the resonator may be dispensed with or its character varied. The addition of the baited hooks is intended for the special purpose before mentioned and for general service in indicating shoal water is not employed.

I clairnt 1. In a shoal-water indicator, a sounder adapted to be submerged and travel with the vessel, a sustaining-wire attached to said sounder, and a resonator actuated by the vi-- brations of said wireand adapted to indicate audibly the contact of said sounder with the bottom, all combined substantially as herein specified.

2. In a shoal-water indicator, a sounder adapted to be submerged and travel with the vessel, a sustaining-wire attached to the latter and to said sounder, .t resonator in contact with said wire and adapted to indicate audibly the contacto-f said sounder with the bottom, and a sound-transmitting device located in such relation to said resonator as to receive and transmit the sounds thereof to a distant receiver, all combined substantially as herein specified.

3. In a shoal-water indicator, a sounder adapted to be submerged and travel with the vessel, a sustaining-wir attached to the latter and to said sounder, a reel upon which said wire may be wound, and means actuated by said reel for indicating the depth at which said sounder is submerged, and a resonator in contact with said wire between said .reel and sounder, all combined substantially as herein specified.

4. In a sounder ofthe character set forth, a plane weighted at the forward -end, a fin located on the central longitudinal line of said plane and perpendicularly thereto, and extending from apoint in rear of the front edge to a point beyond the rear edge of said plane, and a sustaining-wire attached to the rear portion of said fin and a frangible shortlength wire attached to said fin and to the sustaining-wire, all combined and arranged to serve substantially as herein specified.

5. In a sounder of the character set forth, a

plane weighted at the forward end, a fin located on the central longitudinal line thereof and perpendicular thereto, a shortlength wire connected .to the fin at front thereof and a sustaining-wire secured to the rear portion of said fin and attached by said short-length wire which forms an easily-broken connection to the front end of said fin, all combined and arranged to serve substantially as herein specified.

6. In a sounder of the character set forth, a plane and its sustaining-wire adapted to be drawn through the water at an angle to the line of motion, a heavy roller carried on the under face of said plane at the for ard edge and free to'revolve' on the ground and adapted to perform the double function of ballastresonator carried by said spar and held in 1 yielding contact with said wire between said roller and sounder, substantially as herein specified' 8. The antifriction-roller described consisting of two circular disks mounted side by side with freedom to revolve independently upon an axis, a concentric raised portion on one matching to and received in'a corresponding but shallower recess in the adjacent face of the other, adapted to serve with a reel, sounder, and sustaining-wire of a shoal-water indicator, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

9. The plane A ballasted at the forward end, the fin A thereon having'the eye at at the rear and series of holes a a at the front, I

an easily-broken loop A engaged in one of the holes of said series, and a sustaining-wire secured to said eye and passing through said loop, all combined substantially as herein specified. v

10. The plane A'ballasted at the forward end, fin A thereon and a sustaining-wire secured to said fin, means for varying the angle of said plane relatively to the vessel motion in combination with short lengths of line attached to said wire and plane and carrying 

